2012 Futures At Fenway To Take Place on August 18

Here’s the release from the Boston Red Sox announcing the 2012 Futures at Fenway event:

The Boston Red Sox today announced details for the seventh annual Futures at Fenway presented by Xfinity, a minor league doubleheader at Fenway Park, now in its seventh year, taking place on Saturday, August 18. Similar to previous events, family-friendly ticket and concession prices along with kid-friendly activities will highlight the day of minor league fun at “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.”

Boston Red SoxAfter a one year absence from the event, Boston’s Single-A affiliate, the Lowell Spinners, will make their fifth overall appearance at Futures at Fenway, taking on the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Single-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays, at 1:05pm.  Game two will feature the Pawtucket Red Sox, also making their fifth Futures at Fenway appearance, as they face off against the Buffalo Bisons, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets.

Many of the best and most promising prospects in the Red Sox farm system are part of the Lowell Spinners and Pawtucket Red Sox, giving fans a chance to catch these upcoming stars in the early stages of their development.  Current Red Sox players who are alumni of one or both of these Minor League teams include Clay Buchholz, Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Daniel Bard, Jon Lester and Dustin Pedroia.

Kids attending the games will be selected randomly throughout the day to participate in a number of exciting activities including mascot races and other on-field experiences.  Additionally, player autograph sessions will take place at the ballpark.

The Futures at Fenway games also give fans an opportunity to enjoy seating locations they may have never before had the chance to experience, such as the Green Monster Seats, the Right Field Roof Deck, the Dugout Seats, the EMC Club, and State Street Pavilion.  For the sixth consecutive year, tickets will start as low as $5.00 (for Bleacher seats) and range up to just $30.00 (for Green Monster Seats, Dugout Seats, the EMC Club and the State Street Pavilion Club).  In addition, discounted concession items will be available for fans attending Futures at Fenway.

Red Sox season ticket holders, the four participating teams’ season ticket holders, and members of Red Sox Nation, will also have an advanced opportunity to purchase tickets.  Those fans will be contacted over the next few days.

Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Saturday, March 17.  Fans can visit www.redsox.com/futures or call (877) REDSOX-9 beginning at 10:00 a.m.  Fans with disabilities may also call (877) REDSOX-9 to purchase accessible seating. The Red Sox’ TTY number for hearing-impaired fans is (617) 226-6644.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino originally approached the Red Sox seven years ago with the idea to host minor league games at Fenway Park. Although records are incomplete, the Futures at Fenway games in 2006 are believed to be the first minor league games played at Fenway Park since the 1977 Eastern League All-Star Game.  The last known regular season minor league game played at Fenway had been a 1966 Eastern League contest between Pittsfield (Red Sox) and Pawtucket (Indians).

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Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 3/9

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as some of the other sports. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Jim Calhoun’s Take [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Wrapping Things Up From The Garden [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Boeheim Has Huskies Going to Sweet 16 … ‘At Minimum’ [David Borges – New Haven Register]

the BET final wrap [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]

Notes/Quotes from Big East quarterfinal: “I would be shocked if Connecticut didn’t win two games in the NCAA tournament — at the minimum.” [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Video: Andre Drummond’s Dunk [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

UConn Off The Bubble: March 8 [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

Post-game breakdown, video: Syracuse [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

‘I couldn’t be prouder of them’ [Neill Ostrout – Journal Inquirer]

Out Of Reach [UConn Huskies Basketball]

Syracuse outlasts UConn, ends Huskies’ postseason streak [CT Post]

Calhoun vs. Boeheim a rivalry worth remembering [CT Post]

Syracuse Storms Back To Eliminate UConn From Big East Men’s Tournament [Hartford Courant]

Next Up For UConn Men? Selection Sunday [Hartford Courant]

Despite Negative Outcome, Jim Calhoun Keeps It Positive [Hartford Courant]

Syracuse defeats Huskies in Big East quarterfinal [New Haven Register]

Calhoun, Boeheim confident Huskies have earned NCAA bid [New Haven Register]

Syracuse comes alive late to oust UConn [The Day]

Calhoun states UConn’s NCAA case [The Day]

UConn’s resume should be strong enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament [The Hour]

Will UConn compete in ’13 Big East tourney? [Dana O’Neil – ESPN.com]

Calhoun’s Huskies unshaken by defeat [FOXSports.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Stewart, Tuck Named Gatorade State Player Of The Year [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

With Auriemma Sitting at 800, Others Weigh In On His Success [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Some scheduling ramblings [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

UConn Football links

DC answered a few questions in his mailbag [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

W. Lacrosse. Women’s Lacrosse Upends UNH On The Road, 12-9 [UConnHuskies.com]

Softball. Huskies Travel To Fresno For Bayer CropScience Classic [UConnHuskies.com]

W. Track. Six Huskies Set For NCAA Championship This Weekend [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball Visits Oregon for NIKE Showcase [UConnHuskies.com]

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Video: Syracuse Ends UConn’s Big East Tourney Run, 58-55

Last year, the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team set New York ablaze with their Big East Tournament run on their way to the NCAA Championship. On Thursday afternoon, the Syracuse Orange were looking to end the Huskies fortunes in NYC.

Syracuse's Dion Waiters hangs on the rim after slamming the ball during the quarterfinal round of the Big East NCAA college basketball conference tournament against Connecticut in New York, Thursday, March 8, 2012.When UConn went cold late in the second half, the Orange used an 8-0 run to take control as they held on for a 58-55 win over the Huskies in front of a packed house at Madison Square Garden on Thursday afternoon.

The Huskies (20-13) now wait until Sunday night to find out where they’ll go in the NCAA Tournament (yes folks, they are in). Syracuse (31-1) awaits the winner of Georgetown/Cincinnati in the semifinals.

Shabazz Napier led the way for the Huskies with 15 points. Andre Drummond added a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds while Jeremy Lamb was held to 10 points. Tyler Olander had a nice game off the bench with four points, eight rebounds and four assists.

Dion Waters paced the Orange with 18 points while both Kris Joseph and James Southerland both chipped in with 10 points.

Here are the highlights:

{flvremote}http://cdn.ianbethune.com/uconncusebetmbb2012.flv{/flvremote}

Watch this video on your smartphone

UConn Huskies vs Syracuse Orange 2012 Big East Tournament Quarterfinals box score

UConn Huskies postgame quotes (Jim Calhoun, Shabazz Napier)

Syracuse Orange postgame quotes (Jim Boeheim, Kris Joseph, James Southerland)

Postgame notes

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Photo credit: AP Photo

Letter From Howard Baldwin & Howard Baldwin, Jr. To CT Whale Fans

To Our Valued CT Whale Fans,

Thank you so much for your interest in our team and in our efforts to bring back the great Whaler brand to the city of Hartford and the state of Connecticut. It’s hard to believe we are about to conclude our second year of operation with the team. The next couple of months is going to be a very critical time period for our efforts in Hartford. We therefore wanted to reach out to you directly so you heard from us what will be transpiring.

CT WhaleThe first issue that we must deal with for the future is that of establishing a long-term and permanent home for the Connecticut Whale at the XL Center — under lease terms that enable us to properly operate our business in a professional manner.  In order for us to be able to operate beyond 2013, we must have a lease arrangement with the XL Center that is competitive with other AHL teams. Right now we are operating under lease terms that are by far and away the most onerous in the American Hockey League.

In no way is this meant to be a criticism of the current building management team or anyone else for that matter. We recognize full well the things were done in the 90s that have put an unfair burden on current operations at the XL Center which of course includes us. However, these obligations no longer exist after next season. Therefore it is imperative that as we go into the future these burdens are no longer passed on to the prime tenant (i.e. the Connecticut Whale). It is our responsibility to you and to all our loyal fans and sponsors to do what we have to do in the next 30-60 days to solidify hockey in Hartford for the next 10 years.

The month of March is an exciting month for the Connecticut Whale. During the month of March and the first half of April we have 12 home games, all on attractive weekend dates. On March 10th, Saturday night, we have the first Connecticut Hockey Hall of Fame night. This will be an annual event. Some of the players being inducted into the first group are former Whaler greats Mike Liut, Pat Verbeek and Blaine Stoughton as well as our great coach and former Wolf Pack player Ken Gernander, three-time US Olympian Julie Chu as well as former Ranger Hall of Famer Brian Leetch.

The month of March is hockey time. This is a time when playoffs are upcoming and the games are meaningful. We are counting on your attendance to as many of these games as possible.

Finally, rest assured on behalf of our partnership and each dedicated person that works for the Connecticut Whale, executives, coaches, and players alike, it is a privilege to play in this city and to have your support. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Howard Baldwin, Chairman/CEO

Howard Baldwin, Jr., President/COO

Whalers Sports & Entertainment/Connecticut Whale

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Carl Everett’s Crazy Hall of Fame, the Class of 2012

Carl Everett's Crazy Hall of Fame

Sox & Dawgs established Carl Everett’s Crazy Hall of Fame in 2007 and its members are, like any Hall of Fame, in rarified air.  Only this air lacks a lot of common sense and is full of batshit crazy.  In fact that along with the incident happening on or in relation to the field of play is the only way to get into this Hall.  We don’t induct folks based on off the field incidents like spousal abuse, DUI, dog fighting, etc.

In the five years since the Hall was established it has 14 Charter Members and 44 Regular Members.

It is with great humility that we present to you Carl Everett’s Crazy Hall of Fame, the Class of 2012.

Here is year’s class:

Manny Ramirez

In July 2005 Boston Red Sox left fielder Manny Ramirez wasn’t on the field as Wade Miller was prepared to deliver a pitch when low and behold Manny pops out of the door of Fenway’s fabled Green Monster.  So Miller throws the pitch and Tampa Bay outfielder Joey Gathright doesn’t swing, but on the next pitch he singles to left field in front of Ramirez who throws to home a tad late and wide.

After the game Miller admitted to not checking to see if Ramirez was in the field and as he said, “why would I check?”

So what was Manny doing behind the door? “I (urinated) in a cup,” said Ramirez.

The joys of Manny being Manny.

Greg Pankewicz

In the third period of a CHL hockey game in February 2011, between the Colorado Eagles and the Mississippi River Kings, a Colorado player was tackled hard to the ice during an altercation by an official.

Greg Pankewicz, Colorado’s assistant coach, became irate at officials for the takedown, which led to the player getting injured.  So after screaming and throwing stuff on the ice, Pankewicz took to stripping, reminiscent of a scene from the movie “Slap Shot”.

While in slap shot it was an on ice player who did the strip tease, Pankewicz started taking his clothes off on the bench and throwing them onto the ice.  After methodically taking off his three-piece suits, shirt, tie and loafers and chucking it all on the ice he was sent to the dressing room.

He was suspended for the remainder of the regular season (14 games) for his action and was allowed to return during the playoffs.

Ndamukong Suh

Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh was ejected from a NFL game on Thanksgiving Day for stomping and kicking Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith after it appeared that the Lions had stopped the Packers on an important third down play.  The resulting penalty gave Green Bay a first down, which led to a touchdown and a win.

Suh was suspended by the NFL following in the incident for two games.

To continue reading, click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Andrew Bynum

Los Angeles Lakers forward Andrew Bynum was ejected and suspended from a playoff game on May 8, 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks after a dirty foul on guard J.J. Barea.  With the Mavs up by 30 points late in the game Barea drove the lane for a lay up when Bynum threw a blatant elbow to his ribs.  Barea landed hard and the referee immediately called a flagrant foul and ejected Bynum from the game.

Two games earlier in the series, Barea had been clothes lined by the Lakers Ron Artest who got suspended for the following game. Artest, a Charter Member of the Hall, is now ironically known as “Metta World Peace”.

Bynum was suspended originally for five games at the beginning of the next season but had it reduced to four on appeal.

Sal Alosi

In December 2010, New York Jets strength and conditioning coach Sal Alosi was fined $25,000 by the Jets and suspended for the remainder of the season for tripping Miami Dolphins player Nolan Carroll as the player ran along the Jets sideline during a game.

The Jets later accepted Alosi resignation after finding out he routinely instructed the inactive players to form a wall so as to potentially impede the progress of opposing players.

The Jets were also fined $100,000 by the NFL. Alosi was recently hired to the strength and conditioning coach for the UCLA Football team by new head coach Jim Mora Jr. starting with the 2012 season where he will teach his technique to college students.

New England Whalers/Minnesota Fighting Saints, the Brawl in the Mall

The “Brawl in the Mall” between the New England Whalers and Minnesota Fighting Saints in Game 2 of the 1975 WHA Playoffs started when Fighting Saints coach Harry Neale decided to shake things up by putting Bill Butters on the ice with fellow bruisers Jack Carlson and Curt Brackenberry.  Shortly after taking the ice, Minnesota’s Butters hit New England’s Larry Pleau with a cheap shot from behind, starting a full fledged donnybrook that caused a delay that lasted 32 minutes.  The melee itself had 189 minutes in penalties and featured a heavyweight battle between Carlson, of “Slap Shot” movie fame, and Whalers enforcer Nick Fotiu, a former Golden Gloves champion, that started on the ice and continued in the penalty boxes.  Even the two goalies, John Garrett and Al Smith, got into it.  Not sure there ever was or has been a brawl like it.

Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveMichaelsII

Paw Prints – The Daily UConn Roundup – 3/8

Paw Prints The Daily Roundup

Paw Prints is our daily look at the happenings for the UConn Huskies football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball teams as well as some of the other sports. We will do our best to bring you the links from all of the media that covers the Huskies on a daily basis. As always, links can be found by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Thank you for stopping by and making SOX & Dawgs your home for UConn Huskies news.

It’s game day for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team as they will take on the Syracuse Orange in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. Tip is scheduled for 12 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

To open the links up in a new tab or window, use Control+click

UConn Men’s Basketball links

Jim Calhoun’s Take [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Wrapping Things Up From The Garden [Dom Amore – Hartford Courant]

Shabazz Picks Mountaineers’ Pockets [David Borges – New Haven Register]

BET second-round wrap [Ed Daigneault – The Republican-American]

Notes/Quotes from Big East Second Round: “Is it magical? No. It’s just us. It’s just us understanding eachother.” [Kevin Duffy – CT Post]

A Husky In Madison Square Garden, It’s Smaller Than I Imagined [Sara Grant – Hartford Courant]

Post-game breakdown, video: West Virginia [Gavin Keefe – The Day]

‘It’s our time down here’ [Neill Ostrout – Journal Inquirer]

The Spark [UConn Huskies Basketball]

UConn rallies past West Virginia in OT thriller [CT Post]

UConn men: What we learned [CT Post]

Napier Leads UConn Men To OT Win Against West Virginia [Hartford Courant]

UConn Has Third Chance To Beat Syracuse [Hartford Courant]

No Doubt In Shabazz Napier’s Mind [Hartford Courant]

Huskies beat West Virginia in overtime, headed to Big East quarterfinals [New Haven Register]

Another classic with Syracuse? [New Haven Register]

For UConn men, faith rewarded [The Day]

Huskies glad to have another shot at Syracuse [The Day]

Calhoun, Huggins campaign for tourney spots after OT game [Sporting News]

UConn’s New Brand of Madness [SI.com]

UConn recovery following a familiar script [Dana O’Neil – ESPN.com]

It’s not last year, but UConn has tourney magic [CBSSports.com]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Good Thing For NCAA That Fairfield Lost [John Altavilla – Hartford Courant]

Hayes Emerges In Win Over ND; Mosqueda-Lewis Shines [Rich Elliott – CT Post]

Veterans stepped up for UConn [Jim Fuller – New Haven Register]

Finally,  Auriemma Got The UConn Women To Play His Way [Hartford Courant]

Kelly Faris stepped up in Big East title game [New Haven Register]

UConn Football links

Spotlight on: Offensive line [Andrea Adelson – Hartford Courant]

Reyes leads way in updated mock draft [Andrea Adelson – Hartford Courant]

Other UConn related links

UConn Welcomes Temple To The BIG EAST Conference [UConnHuskies.com]

Baseball. Catching Up With UConn Baseball [UConnHuskies.com]

M. Tennis. Men’s Tennis Squad Handles BU, 5-2 [UConnHuskies.com]

Follow Ian on Twitter @soxanddawgs. And be sure to like us on Facebook as well.

Fenway Park Being Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Here’s the release from the Boston Red Sox announcing that Fenway Park has been named to the National Register of Historic Places:

Boston Red SoxThe Red Sox have been working with the Massachusetts Historic Commission and the National Park Service over the past few months to have Fenway Park added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the club received notification from the National Park Service that our application has been approved.

The commitment to preserve all that is good about Fenway Park was made to fans more than a decade ago, and we are pleased that Fenway Park will be counted among America’s most treasured historical places, ensuring that it is protected and enjoyed by future generations. This important designation is a significant part of Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary celebrations, and we look forward to formally celebrating it alongside the National Park Service and our preservation partners during the 2012 anniversary season.

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Tiffany Hayes On Wooden Award’s Final Ballot

Here’s the release from UConn that announces that UConn Huskies women’s basketball senior Tiffany Hayes being named to the Wooden Award’s Final Ballot for the 2011-12 season.

STORRS, Conn.- The Los Angeles Athletic Club announced the final ballot for the 2011-12 John R. Wooden Award on Wednesday afternoon and UConn’s senior guard Tiffany Hayes is the lone Husky on the list of 15. The National Ballot, consisting of these top players, will be mailed to Wooden Award voters this week, and voting begins March 12th. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the ballot is made up of 15 student-athletes who are the final contenders for women’s college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

UConn's Tiffany Hayes shoots over Notre Dame's Natalie Achonwa in the Big East championship game at the XL Center in Hartford Tuesday night.Hayes was selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team after leading the Huskies in scoring (15.1 ppg) and steals (2.6 spg) as she is second in rebounding with 5.7 grabs per game. Hayes and Green Bay’s Julie Wojta were the only players who were not on the midseason Wooden Award list, but who made the ballot.

The BIG EAST has two on the final ballot as Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins joins Hayes on the list.

The 36th annual Wooden Award Gala, will take place on Friday, April 6, 2012, and will honor winners, All Americans, and the Legends of Coaching honoree Geno Auriemma of Connecticut. The Women’s John R. Wooden Award winner will be announced at the Gala event.

For a full look at the final 15 candidates, please click on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.

Name

Ht.

Yr.

Pos.

University

Conference

Elena Delle Donne

6-5

Jr.

F/G

Delaware

CAA

Skylar Diggins

5-9

Jr.

G

Notre Dame

Big East

Brittney Griner*

6-8

Jr.

C

Baylor

Big 12

Tiffany Hayes

5-10

Sr.

G

Connecticut

Big East

Shenise Johnson

5-11

Sr.

G

Miami

ACC

A’dia Mathies

5-9

Jr.

G

Kentucky

SEC

Chiney Ogwumike

6-3

So.

F

Stanford

Pac-12

Nnemkadi Ogwumike*#

6-2

Sr.

F

Stanford

Pac-12

Samantha Prahalis

5-7

Sr.

G

Ohio State

Big Ten

Odyssey Sims

5-9

So.

G

Baylor

Big 12

Shekinna Stricklen

6-2

Sr.

G/F

Tennessee

SEC

Alyssa Thomas

6-2

So.

F

Maryland

ACC

Elizabeth Williams

6-3

Fr.

C

Duke

ACC

Riquna Williams

5-7

Sr.

G

Miami

ACC

Julie Wojta

6-0

Sr.

G/F

Green Bay

Horizon

(Players listed alphabetically)
*indicates player was 2011 Wooden Award All American
#indicates player was 2010 Wooden Award All American

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Photo credit: Cloe Poisson – Hartford Courant

Video: UConn Men Advance To Big East Quarterfinals With 71-67 OT Win Over WVU

For a moment late in the game, it looked as though the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team’s chances in the Big East Tournament were about to end. After all, they were trailing by nine points with about four minutes to go to the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Connecticut's Shabazz Napier takes the ball to the hoop during the second round of the Big East NCAA college basketball conference tournament against West Virginia in New York, Wednesday, March 7, 2012.But then Shabazz Napier took over on both ends of the floor and got his team back in the game to help force overtime. In the overtime, it was all UConn as the Huskies beat the Mountaineers 71-67 in the second round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

The Huskies (20-12) now advance to the quarterfinals where they’ll meet the No. 1 seed Syracuse. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 12 p.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Napier scored the majority of his 26 points in the second half and also had five rebounds and six assists. Jeremy Lamb added 22 points and eight rebounds while Ryan Boatright chipped in with 10 points.

Kevin Jones led the Mountaineers with 25 points and had 10 rebounds. Darryl Bryant added 20 points while Dominique Rutledge added six points and 11 rebounds.

Here are the highlights:

{flvremote}http://cdn.ianbethune.com/uconnwvubetmbb2012.flv{/flvremote}

Watch this video on your smartphone

UConn Huskies vs West Virginia Mountaineers 2012 Big East Tournament Second Round box score

UConn Huskies postgame quotes (Jim Calhoun, Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier)

West Virginia postgame quotes (Bob Huggins, Kevin Jones, Darryl Bryant)

Postgame notes

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Whale’s CT Hockey Hall of Fame Night is this Saturday

HARTFORD, March 7, 2012:  The Connecticut Whale’s CT Hockey Hall of Fame Night is coming up this Saturday, March 10 at the XL Center, as the Whale host the Norfolk Admirals in a 7:00 game.

CT WhaleThe night marks the enshrinement of a new class of 2012 inductees into the CT Hockey Hall of Fame, which has adopted eight members from the storied Hartford Whalers Hall of Fame.  The new inductees are: Connecticut-bred Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Leetch, ex-Hartford Whalers 56-goal scorer Blaine Stoughton, former Whalers goaltender Mike Liut, former Whalers captain Pat Verbeek, Connecticut Whale/Hartford Wolf Pack franchise icon, long-time captain and current head coach Ken Gernander, three-time Olympic medalist for Team USA and all-time NCAA women’s leading scorer Julie Chu, and one of the founders of the New England Whalers, William E. Barnes.

The honorees will be officially enshrined into the Hall of Fame in an induction ceremony during the first intermission.  The ceremony will feature the raising of a Hall of Fame banner and video tributes to each inductee.  Fans can take home a special souvenir of the night, as 5,000 Hall of Fame posters will be distributed, courtesy of SuperCuts.

The pre-game festivities will include a return appearance by the band “Scarlet Fade” and a free autograph session by Whalers Alumni Russ Anderson, Garry Swain, Norm Barnes and Yvon Corriveau.

There will also be an autograph session in the second intermission featuring selected members of the Hall of Fame class.  Those committed at this point are Brian Leetch, Mike Liut, Blaine Stoughton and Pat Verbeek.  The autograph session will be limited to 250 attendees, and a special autograph session pass, which can be purchased for $20, is required.  An application form for a pass can be found on the Whale’s official website at http://www.ctwhale.com/news/?article_id=812, and first priority in awarding the passes will be given to Whale full-season seat-holders.

Additionally, in Saturday’s pre-game warm-up each Whale player will wear a jersey commemorating the career of one of the inductees.  For example, one of the players will wear a Blaine Stoughton New England Whalers jersey, one will wear a Stoughton Hartford Whalers sweater and one will sport a Stoughton New Haven Nighthawks jersey, etc..  All of the jerseys are authentic, hand-crafted and of the highest quality.  A number of the jerseys will then be available for bids in a silent auction in the arena on Saturday night, and a portion of them will be auctioned on-line.  A full list of all the different commemorative jerseys is available at http://www.ctwhale.com/news/?article_id=812.  The pregame warm-up period runs from approximately 6:25-6:40 PM.

This will be the first class of Hall of Fame inductees since 1990, and further details are available at www.cthockeyHOF.org.

An overview of the schedule of events:

5:30-7:00: “Scarlet Fade” band performs in the Atrium.

6:15-7:00: Four members of the Hartford Whalers Alumni — Russ Anderson, Norm Barnes, Yvon Corriveau and Garry Swain will sign autographs in the concourse (inside main entrance).

6:20 – 6:40: CT Whale players take the ice wearing classic CT hockey jerseys.

1st Intermission: HOF Banner Raising Ceremony.

7:00-2nd intermission: Classic jersey silent auction in Atrium.

2nd intermission:  HOF inductees sign autographs in Atrium.

Tickets to CT Hockey Hall of Fame Night, and all 2011-12 Whale home games, are on sale now at the Public Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, as well as on-line at www.ctwhale.com and through TicketMaster Charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Save on your tickets, and get the best seats, with a ticket plan for the Whale’s 2011-12 AHL campaign, which are on sale now. For information on season seats and mini plans, visit www.ctwhale.com, or call the CT Whale ticket office at (860) 728-3366 to talk with an account executive today.

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